


more than the dust that we can return

by deepnest



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, It's in the Stag Nest, Recovery, The Siblings Make A Home Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:27:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22229416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deepnest/pseuds/deepnest
Summary: The kingdom, free of infection, is open to the knights and their sister in all its ill-fated vastness. That leaves them with a difficult choice: where to make their home?The little Ghost has one idea.
Relationships: Hornet & The Knight (Hollow Knight), The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel & Hornet, The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel & Hornet & The Knight, The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel & The Knight
Comments: 9
Kudos: 357





	more than the dust that we can return

**Author's Note:**

> god idk I was just thinking... where should they stay? somewhere private, but still accessible, with enough space for THK? and then this hit me, so I rolled with it. there's no such thing as too much "Ghost and THK and Hornet get a chance to recover" scenarios!!!!
> 
> also, I'm aware Ghost's name is handled a bit oddly here. it's because I have ideas for names later!
> 
> warnings for death/corpses and description of THK's injuries

When the Hollow Knight was well enough to travel a little ways, Hornet led her siblings out of the Mantis Village at last. They only went as far as the hot spring in the crossroads. From there, the rest of Hallownest would be open to them. 

Hornet sat on the side, dipping her legs in while the little Ghost and the Hollow Knight soaked. The little Ghost splashed at her, but she drew away. She was in no mood for playing, and was grateful that they seemed to catch onto this. She needed to think. She kicked in the spring absently, and then caught herself with a hand on her knee. 

Their hosts had been gracious, allowing them to stay so long. Perhaps they could return, and stay a little longer. Perhaps she could find some way to contribute, to earn their keep. But no. Better not to impose further. 

She pushed herself out of the water, and walked to the edge of the cliff. From this vantage, she looked down into the crossroads. 

_ The rest of Hallownest was open to them, in all its ill-fated vastness.  _

But where would be safe? What did _safety_ look like for the knights? Most threats they could handle, but she knew nothing about what they required for food, if anything, and Hallownest could hardly meet the needs of ordinary bugs as it was. 

The kingdom was also less dangerous now, and that presented its own concerns. Not even the infection had kept scavengers away. These sorts would think nothing of the wild creatures and crumbling structures that remained to challenge them. Someone would find them soon enough, and the Hollow Knight had caused a stir even among the proud mantises. The knights needed safety, and she suspected that would mean privacy.

She turned at the sound of sloshing, and then footsteps behind her. The little Ghost stopped when she faced them, and tilted their head to one side. They were still dripping, but evidently didn't mind. The Hollow Knight waited at their back. 

Hornet asked them, "You are well enough to travel?"

The little Ghost nodded. 

Hornet said, at last, what had so absorbed her attention. "You will need a place to stay."

The Ghost joined her at the edge of the cliff. They stared down, too, their gaze seeming vacant. They must have drawn some conclusion, however, because they soon spun around, their little cloak flaring. They beckoned both of their siblings close, and pulled out a map. 

The Hollow Knight crouched down on one side of the Ghost, and Hornet leaned over their other shoulder. The Ghost pointed to a spot high in the cliffs above Dirtmouth. They had marked a stagway station there. 

Hornet frowned at the map. She had little experience with the stagways. They had not lasted long after her childhood, and she preferred other means of transport. She'd only realized a stag remained recently, after she'd observed the little Ghost with him. It wasn't any surprise that there was a faraway station she didn't know, but she couldn't imagine how this would solve their problem.

Better to ask. "You wish to go there? To stay there?" 

They nodded. 

She had no better ideas. There were plenty of nooks and crannies where the knights could settle in the short term, and they could always move again, if all else failed. 

"To the stagway, then." She looked to the Hollow Knight. "If that is agreeable to you, as well?"

The Hollow Knight did respond, in a sense. They had been still before, but now they seemed to stifle the air around them, as if they could bid it to mask their own awareness. 

She pressed gently, "If we are to travel together, I'd rather we are in agreement."

The Ghost reached up and patted the Hollow Knight's arm. They finally nodded, once and slightly.

Hornet accepted this. "Then come. We will find out together what the little Ghost wants to show us."

The trip to the station was easy enough. The Ghost rang the bell with their nail, and the sound echoed down the tunnel until it was lost under the pounding of the stag's approach. He stopped before the platform with only a grunted greeting for his favorite, only traveler. 

Then he saw Hornet. 

"And who have you brought, little one? Oh, it will be good to-"

And then his gaze slid up and up and up, sometimes startling when he still did not see a face where he expected one. He found the Hollow Knight's serrated mask, and spent the rest of his breath in one rush. 

He said finally, "Who have you brought?" 

Hornet folded her arms under her cloak. Her fingers tapped her upper arm pensively, hidden there.  _ Safety, which means privacy. _

The Ghost simply pointed first at themself, then at the Hollow Knight, and last at Hornet. Three to travel. 

Hornet stepped up to their side, and said, "We are their siblings. We wish to travel with you - the little one knows where."

The stag huffed again, and inclined their head. "I'm sorry. I had no idea the little one had family. A remarkable lot, you must be. I've never met their like in all my days."

Hornet laughed. It was not precisely happy. It existed a step to the left from real mirth. 

The stag eyed her, but must not have judged her too harshly, because he said, "The stagways are open to all. Come aboard." 

So maybe he did judge her, and the Hollow Knight, too. But not in defiance of duty. That was enough for her.

The Hollow Knight climbed carefully into the back seat, tucking their sharp limbs close to their body. Hornet settled in the front. 

The stag asked, "Where to, then, little one?" 

The Ghost pointed out the station they had shown their siblings. 

Another grunt. "You trust your family, don't you?"

They nodded. That was all it took. He said, "Hop on, now. It's not a long journey from here - even on these old legs." 

The Ghost climbed on. Hornet shifted so that they could share the seat, and turned back to the Hollow Knight. Before she could ask them if they were ready, the stag was galloping into the tunnels.

* * *

Hornet and the Hollow Knight followed the Ghost deeper into the stag nest. They picked their way over the corpses of ancient stags, empty shells that had once thundered all throughout Hallownest. 

As it stood, it was a grim place. Dark. Their footsteps echoed. Seeing it, however, Hornet understood. There was plenty of space. The central platform, leading into the tunnels, could be adapted to suit a variety of purposes. The abandoned freight elevator was a room in and of itself, even for a being of the Hollow Knight's stature. There was even a second story, if they needed it. Perhaps the Ghost could claim it for their own. Her room in the Beast's den had been close to that size. 

As they returned to the platform, Ghost waited so that they could fall in step with their sister. She observed, "A wise choice, perhaps. However, it is not ours, is it?"

Ghost shook their head. 

"I will speak to the stag, if that suits you."

They nodded. 

Hornet darted ahead, and rejoined their host. "Stag?" 

"Yes, young one?" 

Hornet allowed this comment to pass. His assessment of her age hardly mattered, and she was still less inclined to offer her name. 

"My siblings and I, with your permission, will tend to this place. We will see that your kin receive a proper burial. We will do this no matter what," she promised. "However, we have a boon to ask. And it is no small thing, I think."

"For the little one? Go ahead and ask."

"My siblings need a place to stay. Somewhere which will be safe for them. You have observed that our… elder sibling…" Once again, age meant little here. Though she couldn't help but wonder if the little Ghost had been older, once, denied maturation for  _ impurity _ . "...Our elder sibling has a presence most striking."

"Yes," the Stag said immediately. "Yes, that would be fine. I think… I would like that."

"You would?"

Now, he considered, only to reaffirm his choice. "I don't want this place to be a grave forever. It's meant to be a home. If it can be that for the little one and their kin, then I'm happy to allow it." 

"Then you have our gratitude. Thank you." Hornet bowed, neat and low. 

He didn't quite know how to handle that show of chivalry. "Well, thank you. It's been some time since… Thank you. I can see why they brought you."

She, in turn, didn't know how to respond to the compliment. She offered, "We will begin at once. You need not stay. I cannot say how long it will take." 

"It's no trouble for me to stay. It's not as if I've got anywhere else to be."

"If you wish…" That wasn't what she had hoped to hear. She didn't want to be rude, not after what he had just granted them, but she warned, "While I cannot say how long it will take, I doubt it is a single day's work." 

The stag chuckled, a sound like falling rocks. "I see, I see. Alright, then. If that's your druther, I'll leave you and your kin to it."

"We will call for you when it's done."

The stag agreed, "You'd better, young one! You fix up that bell there, and ring it when you're ready. And give the little one my regards." He stopped, but then added, "The big one, too." 

He inclined his head once more, and sped back into the tunnels, leaving behind only a cloud of dust.

Hornet found the Ghost and the Hollow Knight staring up into the abandoned elevator shaft. She joined them, peering up in case they'd found anything amiss. But there was only the same stone as before.

"Knights," Hornet said softly, but the word echoed up the stone. 

Ghost jolted, and turned their gaze on her. So did the Hollow Knight, but with one smooth turn of their head. Hornet looked up and down between them for a moment, and then came to her senses, although she couldn't have said where she'd left them. 

"I am sorry. I did not mean to alarm you." She moved on, breaking whatever had gripped them. "I spoke to the Stag, and you will be allowed to stay here. It will be safe. But first, we must prepare graves for the stags who remain."

The little Ghost nodded. 

The work was tiring and monotonous. They settled into a rhythm together, and pushed on in focused silence. The Hollow Knight dug graves in the cliffside, clawing out huge chunks of earth with their hand. Hornet and the Ghost carried the stags down one by one. Then, on one trip, the little Ghost stopped abruptly. 

"What's the matter?" Hornet asked, adjusting the corpse in her grip as it bumped up against her. She peered around the side, just in time to see the Hollow Knight straighten. They held their arm close to their chest, which heaved with exertion.

The hot spring was, literally, magical. That did not make its power infinite. A wrathful god had eaten into the Hollow Knight's flesh for years. They were probably fortunate that the spring had worked deep enough for them to make the journey in the first place. They certainly shouldn't have been laboring. Shame flashed like a knife's edge inside Hornet's shell. 

Of course they were skilled at disguising their pain. She should have known better.

"Little Ghost," Hornet said. "Let us put this one to rest. We should not let them touch the ground before they're buried." 

The Ghost started walking again, and she followed. Once the corpse was in its grave, the Hollow Knight stepped forward to fill it. 

Hornet held up a hand, and said, "Wait."

She hated the stillness that settled over the Hollow Knight, but they certainly were waiting. The little Ghost stepped in front of them. They beckoned to their sibling, and the Hollow Knight settled onto one knee. The Ghost reached up, and touched the Hollow Knight's stomach. Lightly. Barely at all, it seemed. The Hollow Knight flinched, and then drew stillness in around themself again. 

"You are not well," Hornet said to them. 

Once again, the little Ghost looked at her. They shook their head. For a vessel to have their flaws assessed never boded well. 

She added quickly, "You must rest. The little Ghost and I will finish, yes?"

And now the small vessel nodded, quite vigorously this time. The Hollow Knight knelt, unmoving. At least they did not try to resume their task.

Hornet was reluctant to command them further, but she did. Her mercy would have been misguided. "If you wish to remain here, then sit."

They obeyed, and she couldn't shake the feeling that was all it was. But she had no idea what comfort she could offer them, and she did have work to do.

It took her and the little Ghost more time to finish this way, but neither of them had any objections. When they finished, the Ghost carried up some smaller stones which had been discarded, and embedded them in a circle on the cliffside. They then enlisted Hornet's help in placing a large rock in the center. 

They drew their nail, and scratched into the rock,  _ "Here lie the stags. Strong and unbroken. Faithful companions. Remember them." _

"Well said." Hornet inclined her head. "They were great creatures…"

They were. Although she only distantly remembered their prime, without them, Hallownest never could have achieved the sparse good it did. 

She turned to the Hollow Knight. "Now, we should all go inside. Do you need help walking?" 

It was as if they didn't hear her, until they suddenly shook their head. They unsheathed their nail from their back, and swung it forward into the ground. They leaned on it, more hauling themself on the cliff than walking. She and the Ghost stayed on either side of them, minding their pace. 

Now, the nest was truly empty. It needed some cleaning, some dusting and polish. The air was still thick with grime. It was still unsettling. If anything, the place now felt like a tomb waiting to be filled. Hornet was almost hesitant to leave them here, but it truly seemed like the best option. Safe and private. 

She led the knights into the large elevator shaft. The Ghost hovered around the Hollow Knight, hopping up and down around them. 

"Sit and rest, both of you," she told them. The Hollow Knight did as they were told. As always. She found herself glad for the Ghost's defiance; they nudged aside the Hollow Knight's tattered cloak, instead. 

"Move aside, then," she said. "Do you think I'm asking for my health, little Ghost? I will examine their wounds."

Now, they complied. They watched her briefly as she examined the Hollow Knight's shell, before darting back off toward the cliffside entrance. So it would seem she was trusted with their more fragile sibling. At least there was that.

The Hollow Knight hardly reacted to her prodding. If she touched somewhere especially tender, they would hold their breath for the meanest instant. Or she could only suppose that's what was happening. Most of their body had to be tender. Perhaps they held their breath when they finally crossed whatever their threshold was for pain, before they could gather themself. 

There was little she could do for the warped shell itself. Stiff and scarred though it was, it was whole. Bandages or bindings would be meaningless. It seemed as healed as it could be, as well, so even soul wasn't likely to improve anything. 

"I have something that may help the pain. An ointment." She glanced up at them, too quick for them to avoid her. She held their gaze. "May I use it?"

There was something flat about the look they gave her. Not empty, flat. They nodded, as short as always. But no one coaxed them into it, and the little Ghost was still elsewhere. Did they trust her, too? Or was the pain just worse than she'd already thought? It didn't change what she had to do.

"Thank you," she said, sincerely. The bottle in her cloak was small, and she poured all the ointment out onto their shell. As potent as it was, spread thin over their side, it was barely enough. She stepped back when she was done. 

"There. Does that help?" 

She waited for their response. She had to trust that it would come, and yet they surprised her even so. They couldn't bow sitting down, but they inclined their head steeply. 

"There's no need for that," she said. "I'm glad to do it." 

They looked up at her, just long enough to meet her gaze, and then resumed their deferential posture. 

_Perhaps they'll find some stubbornness yet._ She said only, "Very well, then. You are welcome."

The Hollow Knight straightened at last. Satisfied, she turned away and left to find the little Ghost. 

They were just coming back down the smaller, operational elevator. They hopped the rest of the way onto the stone, and she told them, "I think the Knight is resting now, truly. Perhaps that can be their room?" 

They peered past her. They pressed one hand thoughtfully to their chin.

She added, "It will need…quite a lot of work. But so does the rest of this place. You should have a room for yourself, too. There's enough space here. You chose well." 

They nodded. She laughed softly.

"Is there anything else you need?" 

The Ghost shook their head. 

"Then I will be off." She bowed to them. "I will return when I have the chance. Be well." 

She spun, and bent her knees. She was an instant away from dashing away and vaulting back down the cliffs. Something caught in her cloak, and pulled. Her heart thrummed in her shell. Her hand found her needle. 

Again, she turned. The Ghost's hand remained clenched in her cloak. They stared up at her. She let her hand fall. 

"Yes?"

They tugged again.

"You may tell me if you need something," she said. "I will do my best to provide it. Then I must go." 

They pointed back inside. 

"Alright. Show me."

They led her onto the small elevator, and hopped to the platform on the other side - a complicated maneuver, as bright wings unfurled from their body, and then they seemed to dissolve into shadow to carry themself the rest of the way. Hornet threw her needle, and followed on a strand of silk. 

They had buried the eggs, of course. What life they might have held was also long dead, devoid of even soul. Now, there was only the empty alcove, and the room to squeeze into beyond it. The little Ghost stopped by the hole. Hornet looked around.

"What is it?"

They pointed at her. Then they waved down the hole.

"I do not-" 

They repeated the gesture. Hornet. The hole. No. The room. 

This time, she stared at them. Of course, they were still staring at her. Their eyes met. She shook her head quickly. "I cannot stay, little Ghost. Much has changed in the kingdom already. I must observe, and I must prepare."

She didn't know what for, but that was exactly the point. Whatever was to come, there was no one else who could stand sentinel. She would not ask it of her siblings. Even if they had the strength, and as it was, they needed so badly to rest. They deserved that much, at least. This was her duty, and hers alone.

They didn't answer her. Instead, they beckoned over her shoulder. There was a massive _thud_ as the Hollow Knight landed behind her, and settled hunched on their knees. They watched her, leaning in, tense. Unmistakably expectant.

"What about you?" She asked. "Do you wish for me to stay, also?" 

They nodded. She looked back to the Ghost. They were nodding, too. Vigorously, again.

She sighed, and sat down against the wall, crossing her legs. "Very well. I did say I would provide, if you asked. I will stay, for now."

They walked up to her. They sat down next to her. Their head settled against her shoulder. She stiffened at the sudden contact, unaccustomed to such familiarity. But it was a soft touch, benign. She ordered herself to relax. Still, their head jerked up, even as the rest of them seemed to sink into themself.

_They are a child, really,_ she remembered. They had fought untold enemies, bested her and foes that would have destroyed her utterly. They had brought an end to the infection. They had spent all day digging graves, just for a place to rest. She thought again: _they deserve that rest._

"I am sorry," she said quietly. "You may stay there, if you wish."

They settled down again, but she could feel a difference in the pressure - she bore less of their weight, this time. She exhaled, and reached up with her free hand, undoing her cloak. She shrugged it off of one shoulder, and tugged it down to wrap it around their body. 

They looked up at her.

"Yes. It is alright."

Then she patted the ground on her other side. "I _know_ you are still hurt. Come and rest."

She certainly wasn't going to make them jump down. As it was, she'd rather not think about how crossing the shaft might have hurt them. 

They slunk forward on their knees. They didn't seem to know exactly what to do with their body, how to arrange it for this. In the end, however, they had half-curled in on themself, with their knees by their stomach and their arm cushioning their mask. She reached out, as they watched. When they did not move away, she gently rested a hand on one horn. She kept her hand their, unmoving. 

It was not long before both of them were not only still, but limp. 

She could have left then, but she waited. She would wait, and watch over. This was her duty, and she had promised to give them what they needed. She hadn't thought this would be herself. But that it defied her expectations was no reason to renege on her word, and she had no wish to disturb the little Ghost. They had slumped against her and slid almost into her lap, still wrapped in her cloak. 

They looked so delicate that way. The Hollow Knight on her other side looked as close to peaceful as she had ever seen.

She wouldn't leave them, not like this. She could decide on her next move when they awoke. 


End file.
